Carbone
“Octopus
Spicy Rigatoni
Tortellini Ragu
Chocolate Cake & Lemon Cheesecake
Highly recommend this restaurant!”
“Louie made the experience the absolutely wonderful Favorites: Spicy rigatoni, veal parm, pancetta, lemon cheesecake was a dream come true.”
“Prepare for transport into the days of the Rat Pack at the latest from the owners of Torrisi and Parm.”
Carbone
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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I gave in to the hype. At first I scoffed, laughed it off with a dismissive wave. But it lingered, and started to eat away at me like a cancer. So much praise for one dish that is essentially penne a la vodka with a little extra kick, and at close to $30?!
That particular pasta dish is worth the money folks, it is that damn good. If I remember correctly, they put unicorn blood and Mila Kunis' breast milk in the sauce- so that's why it's so expensive.
KenScale: 8.5/10
The super chef duo of Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi never play it safe. Within their vastly growing empire, Carbone certainly is at the forefront when it comes to exuberance of dining experience. It's been a while since I visited this Italian American palace, so I figured a revisit is in order. I didn't have quite the same magic as I had on my previous visits, but the meal at Carbone can still be a very satisfying affair.
As with all my other visits, I had to start the meal with Caesar salad, which was still an impeccable salad dish with richness of flavor and fresh vegetables working wonders in my taste bud. Scampi all scampi was also a nice shrimp appetizer dish, but didn't leave a ton of impression. I tried the spicy rigatoni vodka on my first visit to Carbone, and on this visit the buttery sensation of the pasta was displayed prominently to spectacular effect. I just didn't remember if I had enjoyed this pasta dish that much. On the other hand, linguini vongole felt a little flat even though I had no complaint about the fine texture of the noodle. For seafood entrée, we went for red snapper oreganata which was very nicely cooked and had a balance of flavor that would be hard to replicate elsewhere. Double lamb chops were also cooked perfect medium rare, although the seasoning was somewhat uneven throughout various parts of the meat. I felt the magical experience I've had at Carbone on my previous visits wasn't quite there even though the meal was generally very good. Is it just a matter of not choosing the best dishes of the restaurant or is the kitchen showing some signs of slowing down? I couldn't tell, but then the desserts happened. My dining party, which included two girls and two guys including myself, was just going after the tiramisu and chocolate cherry cake like we had just started eating. Tiramisu still had the perfect moistness that I had thoroughly enjoyed on my last visit, and chocolate cherry cake was another delightful dish that had all the decadence of a big-time dessert without being overly sweet.
Getting a reservation at Carbone can still be a Herculean affair, although to my great surprise the restaurant reservation app Reserve was able to secure tables for a party of four on almost a last minute notice. In addition to all the classic cocktails, there is a very large, Italian-centric wine selection (a bottle of Piedmont Barbaresco that I ordered was absolutely spot on in the course of our meal). Carbone still offers that memorable dining experience with a retro Italian American décor and setting. Perhaps I should compile a list of my favorites from my previous visits and cherry pick those dishes on my next visit for a truly remarkable meal.
I don't eat much Italian these days, but was I in for a treat at Carbone! It's in the same neighborhood as Minetta Tavern, and the old-school lighted sign outside ushers you into a dining room that is very similar to Minetta in having a vintage feel. It's not terribly large, and it's not done up to be as fancy and cosmopolitan as a lot of upscale restaurants in NYC, but that retro vibe belies the absolutely delicious meal you have coming. Our waiter and the sommelier were absolute champs – great sense of humor and, from our sommelier, absolutely fantastic selections on wine. I'm not a big wine person, but the Etna Rosso red wine we had had phenomenal flavors and was complex without being too heavy on the tannins. I also had a couple of White Ladies, which was a bit sweet but still incredibly delicious cocktail that packed a lot of punch (in the form of gin) to boot. The only downside (and this is the case for the entire restaurant) – it ain't cheap.
For the food, we ended up sharing the food, and it's arguably some of the best Italian that I have had (price considerations aside). It was definitely setting up to be a good night when we were served a bread plate and, in lieu of butter, was given a decent-sized square of aged Parmesan cheese and a plate of mild sopressata…paired atop of a slice of sourdough, and you have a delicious charcuterie bite right off. Everything was delicious, and it's hard to really pick a favorite. If I had to, it'd probably be the spicy rigatoni, which is just as good as everyone who raves about it says it is. It has the taste of your typical vodka sauce, but then that divine heat starts to creep up on your tongue, and before you know it you have a warm glow in your mouth and in your belly. The mussels were also excellent, possibly because it was served in a sauce that looked and tasted quite similar as well. The seafood here overall is great; the sole was de-boned on the side after being presented and served piccata – with the small slices of jalapeno adding a little bit of heat to each bite as well and adding even more acidity on top of the lemon-butter base. We had some langoustine to start, and it's presented in a very unique fashion – the meat is served in-shell, with the crustacean cracked open along the back. I just got back from Maine, but the meat here rivaled the quality of any of the lobster that I've had – juicy and succulent. The meats here ain't that shabby either; we shared an order of meatballs that were as hearty and tasty as one could imagine. They are basically better, bigger versions of your classic meatballs served in tomato sauce. We also had the veal parmesan – excellent in its own right (especially the cheese), even though it was probably the dish that I was probably the least blown away by. The night ended with a proper sampling of dessert. Surprisingly, my favorite was actually the carrot cake, which had a very strong presence of the orange veggie but plenty of sugar to give it a taste akin to a candied cake (if there is such a thing). The chocolate-frosted cake with crushed nuts on the outer edge was also good, if not as memorable. We finished off with some small slices of mint-infused poundcake, where the bread was decorated in the tricolor of Italy.
This was an absolutely fantastic and memorable meal, and it's definitely worth the visit for several of the dishes. It seems hard to go wrong here, as virtually everything was so tasty. A definite must-visit for me in the future again. Carbone is a modern take on vintage Italian that comes out in stellar fashion.
Yes, and more yes. The spicy rigatoni here could be a whole food group for me.
However, the space is intimate, a little dark, and great art. The service is great as well. The only thing I was a little worried about is how I feel that my allergy wasn't taken as serious. When food is put in front of you and they come back a minute or two later to say that what I am allergic to could be in it… Thankfully I didn't just take a bite of it and end up in the ER.
Besides that, the food is delicious. The seafood towers, octopus, baked clams, burrata and caviar to start were all delicious. However the showstopper for me is always the pasta. The spicy rigatoni is phenomenal. So good in fact, I almost didn't try the spaghettini and pesto. I was already full by then so when all of the proteins came out I just had a couple of bites of steak and a bite of one of the largest prawns I may have ever seen in my life. Large bowls of what seemed like lightly macerated strawberries and plates of nectarines, with tiramisu, chestnuts, and many many other desserts. I didn't try them all obviously or I might still be in a coma. But everyone enjoyed them.
Thanks for a lovely night Carbone.
We came to the famous eatery on a Thursday evening and the place was the usual busy! I was so excited to try Carbone, as my husband has been multiple times, and says the spicy rigatoni vodka is one of the best pasta dishes he has ever had. There was six of us so we decided to order just about everything on the menu! Before ordering a large bread basket comes out with focaccia, garlic bread and semolina all delicious in their own right. You also get salami, Parmesan cheese and cauliflower gardenia. For apps we did Baked clams, which came orreginata and casino style, zucchini flowers, and the freshest mozzarella caprese salad I've ever had. The tomatoes were so tender and ripe, they were delicious covered in the salty cheese. For the pasta course we did the tortellini ragu, and of course, the famous spicy rigatoni. The tortellini was delicious, but I could have eaten at least two orders of the spicy rigatoni myself. It was that damn good!! The veal parm is a must have there and the rib eye Diana, tender and delicious. We definitely saved room for dessert and ordered the tiramisu, carrot cake, and bananas flambé with ice cream. Each dessert was better than the next. You could not go wrong with either. This place is legit. Truly an NYC legend.
There was nothing wrong with Carbone, but I didn't love it. It felt like a little Italian restaurant in the Village. . . until you looked at the menu and the prices. It wanted to be Babbo but its offerings were more like a standard neighborhood Italian joint–not that there's anything inherently wrong with that. Its menu read much like a menu at The Olive Garden would read, except the prices were three to four times higher. Now, I'm not saying that Carbone was the same quality as The Olive Garden. I'm definitely not saying that. I'm saying the dishes were not particularly creative in any way. They were classic Italian American dishes. We started with a complimentary bread basket with some garlic bread in it. (Sound familiar?) We were also given some pickled cauliflower (admittedly, Olive Garden probably doesn't offer that) and some uninspired salamis. It was all good but certainly nothing made us say "wow". We once again got the zucchini flowers. (Hey, when they're in season, what are you going to do? You can't pass 'em up!) Their batter was not sufficiently sturdy and their filling was forgettable. (The filling had peekytoe crab in it but I literally can't remember it, just two days later.) They were still good but they were not among my favorite zucchini blossoms, to be sure. We ordered two pastas. (In retrospect, I wish we had come hungrier and tried a secondi, but our stomachs wouldn't allow it.) My wife got one of her favorites: penne with vodka sauce, although their "creative twist" on this dish was to substitute rigatoni for penne. (There was not culinary envelope pushing going on at Carbone.) The dish was good. It was solid. But it certainly wasn't spectacular. I got the "Granchio e Pepe". I had to ask what this dish was. Granchio is apparently Italian for crab. It was a crab pasta dish. It was okay. It felt like tuna noodle casserole with crab substituted for tuna. (Did I mention that no one was pushing any culinary envelopes at Carbone?) I think we got dessert, but I can't remember that, either. Now, admittedly I'm getting old but I think my inability to recall details of this meal has more to do with the vanilla nature of the food and less to do with my forgetfulness. My general impression was that Carbone was okay. But who wants to pay big bucks for okay? Who wants to settle for "okay" in NYC? I probably wouldn't go back to Carbone and in a few months I probably won't even remember why.
I'm a big fan of Italian. I feel it's hard to find good Italian (and trust me, I've tried). Overall, this place is 5 stars (I would take away half a star for pasta portion size, but I enjoyed it so much that I'm rounding up).
First off, good luck getting a reservation. Open Table holds your card IF you can get a reservation (Yelp offers reservations now too, so if Yelp does provide the reservation service then clearly use them). Open Table does give 100 points. Score. I'm all about free gift cards when you earn enough points.
So you walk in and you're basically swept into an old school mafia joint. It's all waiters in their suits. They're friendly in that slick guy kind of way. When we sat down we were immediately brought a bread basket (focaccia, brick over and garlic), 6 pieces of salami and cauliflower. The bread was all delicious. The focaccia was the best I've ever tried. It was flavorful, had a hint of olive oil yet still crispy. The garlic bread was good, but could use more garlic. Still, it was delicious.
Drinks? They have a cool menu. I recommend the margarita. It comes with a cinnamon stick that is wrapped in an orange peel. The agave tequila they use blends well with everything. If you're into wine the waiter will suggest some good options.
We began with the clams casino. You get 9 clams. The waiter said they'd be prepared 3 ways, however today they only prepared them 2 ways. I liked the darker clams (refer to the picture-not sure what preparation that was). The clams were a nice size and very tender. It was honestly the best clams casino I've ever tried. Then we ordered the shrimp scampi. They were out of the shrimp they use typically so we ordered 3 of the shrimp they had. They were cooked to perfection.
The three of us shared 3 pasta dishes. I ordered the spicy rigatoni vodka. Whew! It had a kick. If you like spice, then you'll like this. At first I was little skeptical. For about $30 why did they serve me a half portion. Seriously, it's a small portion. Also, where's the pancetta and peas? After I got over that, I realized it was the creamiest, tastiest vodka sauce I've ever eaten. I had slivers of onion in it. My friend ordered a pasta dish that had crab in it and was in a pesto sauce. It was delicious. I'd absolutely order that dish. My other friend had lobster ravioli. The dish was once again so small. It had lobster on top. It was delicious, but not something I'd order or particularly recommend. It was a bit basic for our taste buds.
Dessert? They give you a large slice (finally!). The carrot cake was really good. It had fresh dried carrot on top. It came with a ginger ice cream. The nutella tiramisu was tasty too. They give you complimentary rainbow cookies and homemade limoncello.
Our bill was $430 for 3 people with tip, tax and 4 drinks in total.
Oh, Carbone. I almost felt like, rather than going out for dinner, my friend and I walked into a dinner theater. Want to feel like you stepped right into the Godfather or Goodfellas? Eat at Carbone. The performance itself – and I'm including the food and drinks here – was top-notch. The waiters had the Bronx/Bensonhurst accent down pat, and the checked floors/table cloth/ screened off backroom (and photographer walking around) all lent themselves to creating this movie-set feel. My friend and I ordered Manhattans, then red wine, a charcuterie plate, baked clams, some special with clams and the famous spicy rigatoni. The rigatoni lived up to the hype FOR SURE but the clam pasta was a little eh – it could have used more sauce. Everything else was delicious and the portions were very generous (the complimentary bread/cheese it comes with doesn't hurt either). We split the carrot cake and, though it wasn't the best I've ever had, I'm a huge carrot cake fan and it was pretty darn good. The final bill at the end though was around $200, and my Italian grandparents are rolling over in their graves at the idea that I'd pay this much when I could get an equal dinner (minus the theatrical elements) at one of their go-to spots in the Bronx, Manhattan or Westchester for at least half the price. So in sum, I would never go back unless someone else was footing the bill and if you're going purely for the food, skip it because there's much better Italian options, both in this old-school red sauce vein and in the newer, rustico/Tuscan variety. But if you want to take a night to step back in time and pretend you're a mobster in Little Italy in the 50s, Carbone is worth every penny.